noddyboater

It's a shame it's slowing the process up as the allocated time of 8 weeks would have been ample to do the job. The team are doing a great job too, it's gone from around 2'6" mid channel to nearly 5'. I know soil samples were taken, but at that stage it was still planned to go on the fields so I don't know what changed. There's never been industry in the area, Retford being the nearest town but still miles away. To make life even harder they started dredging at the far end of the pound and ploughing back through the mud with half filled pans, permission hadn't been given after months of planning to dredge the nearest part first.

As mentioned before my home stretch of the Chesterfield is currently being dredged, and that's fantastic news. Great so far, but when you look into the logistics of the operation it really is baffling, or at least to a layman. Originally the spoil was to be screened and spread on an adjacent field, now it's being lifted over the towpath and a hedgerow into trucks and taken to landfill. Somewhere local? No, Peterborough apparently. A round trip of over 3 hours plus unloading/washing off time. This set up is resulting in a dredger operater, 2 tug drivers, and a 360 excavator plus his banksman sitting idle every day for hours while they await an empty truck. I can understand when it's an industrial area and the mud is classed as hazardous or toxic, but this is a SSSi, it's nothing more than silt, old rotten vegetation and of course several plastic bags. I heard yesterday that a farmer with fields bordering the canal has actually asked for his mud back but obviously that can't be done now, as it wouldn't be lining anyone's pockets. I'm sure someone on here is much smarter than me and can explain it rationally.

I removed a section of cabin from the front of my boat (which I'd ironically had put on when I bought it) to give it back a decent length front deck. It was originally 24' and loose planked but I did it in steel for practical reasons. The cabin removal was done by myself and a mate at a quiet spot on the canal, 9" grinder and recipricating saw off the genny. The section of cabin was surprisingly heavy, something to note was that the hull spread a couple of inches and needed pulling back to weld the bulkhead back in. You'll probably need at least one set of chains.

Trent Street, Sheffield. Comes straight up on Google.

I wish you'd bring one up here more often! They actually started dredging yesterday, it's taken over a week to get the land based stuff sorted out. What happened to the good old days when it got spread on the nearest field? Here it's going across the towpath over a lowered hedgerow, via a 360 excavator, then over a temporary hard surfaced field over a road into another field where it's getting screened before spreading. Or it was, apparently now it's all going to pontefract by truck straight to landfill! This stretch of the canal is pathetically silted up but God knows what this operation is costing. Yes, Gate Inn Clarborough to Retford.

The Pearson's guide covering the canal gives a fair bit of history on the disused wharves etc.

I've just always presumed that 6X was sold as a real ale, not a "bright" beer.

Are you really suggesting that 6X is delivered in bulk liquid and pumped like kerosene into the pub? It couldn't be sold as a cask ale if it was, which is surely it's main selling point.

I went "round the back" at Harworth Heating and was talking to a lad assembling one of their oven/stoves. They are well made, same size as an Epping but more modern appearance. I think you can choose from a few colours and finishes. They are however very expensive!

We have the Epping lit every day when boating in the cooler months, but let it go out overnight so it doesn't get too hot in the bed hole. I really don't know how people boat in the depths of winter without the comfort of a stove by your feet, I know that I certainly wouldn't anymore. I was thinking about a "C" shaped boiler, taking the place of the fire bricks. We have the same set up in our cottage on a Victorian range that works well.

I've been thinking about making a back boiler conversion for an Epping size range, I know people have done them before but I've never seen one. I've got a nearly new Midland Swindlers Epping copy, which only has a cast top plate so shouldn't be hard to work on. If anyone's interested in it let me know, or I'll put some pics on when I get around to it.

The best things come to he who waits.. 20 years in this case. Dredging team assembled ready for action on the Chesterfield.

There's currently a similar lifeboat at Beeston on the river Trent. Might be worth popping down if you're an hour away and having a chat with the owner. It's on the paid for marina jetty, not with the dossers on the cut.

The same thing but on a smaller scale was happening in Sheffield near where I work. Several articulated trucks a week would drive up to Scotland full of waste wood from landfill to feed a biomass generator plant. They weren't running on biodiesel, so I wouldn't imagine it was a fantastic gain for the environment. A bit like putting your recycling through the dishwasher..

It's also moored opposite the marina entrance which could make life awkward or result in it getting a gentle bump at some point. It's a beautiful looking craft though, have you got anymore photos?

It's like Ad blue but tastes better.

It's ok, if you keep drinking whisky it just flushes all the nasties through.

I'm well and truly buggered then. Just spent 4 days on the boat, both stoves going and stood behind the exhaust stack belching out god knows what. Home to our cottage that's heated by open fires now!

Reminds me of when I was a livaboard in Sheffield. I had a young woman in a boat along side me, her and her friend would stand in the front well deck enjoying their Marlboro Lights and commenting that "All that wood smoke blowing across us from the chimney can't be healthy" What about open fires in a room? Surely they're even more deadly as you don't have a door to close at all.

I've recently had the same problem with my Gardner 3L2. Header tank overflowing and thermometer on engine reading high. I dropped all the coolant out and refilled it with straight water plus 3 bottles of cooling system flush (Wynns, from motor factors). I then ran it in gear hard for a good hour to get things flowing through the skin tank, drained it back out and let it cool. I then back flushed the skin tank and pipes with a hose, a fair bit of brown sludge came out at first. After another refill with a/freeze mixture and bleed it's been fine. I've just got back from 3 days on the Trent and no problems at all, including pushing a big tide with plenty of revs on.

Thankfully they do still allow you to leave the gates open and remove your key, a member on here previously said that it wasn't possible. Anyway that's enough for locks, back to grumpy fisherman.

The new control systems need their level water sensors setting correctly. With the old pedestals you could crack the gates open a bit and equalise things once the level had stopped dropping, as the keepers do. With the new dumbed down 2 button things it takes an eternity for the sensors to allow the gates to open. If there's a bit of wind blowing and a few waves on it's even worse. Newark town lock yesterday, it looks empty, press gates open and hey presto they do. Old system. Nether lock, it looks empty, no it's definitely empty, wait a bit.. go for a quick tiddle.. wait a bit more.. put the kettle on.. you get the idea. It was over 10 minutes from the water reaching a level to the gates being able to open. But they look pretty.

Well the sun shining on Newark castle had started to cheer me up after yesterday's weather but now I'm having a proper giggle at the thought of a fisherman offering advice to a boater! Don't worry yourself, I didn't misread the arm waving and shouting so I haven't sullied the reputation of all boaters, boaters friends, people who've ever talked to a boater etc etc. 3 blokes were fishing on a grim day, they were tucked up not expecting a boat, as usual their rods were up in the air on rests with baits mid river. My initial reaction to his request was to say that I didn't know who was the most stupid, (me for boating, or them for fishing in such appalling conditions), but I'd already had a long day and I wasn't feeling very chatty so when his mates joined in I shouted "F#ck Off". To be honest I was already past them due to the strong flow so they might not have heard me. But I do hope they did. I'm a ex fisherman, still dabble occasionally, but things have changed over the last few years. Fishists now have an "elite" group, who turn up with literally thousands of pounds worth of gear in a vehicle they've bought specially for the job of getting as near as possible to their spot. They stay for days at a time, often after pre-baiting a swim for weeks on a daily basis. Honestly. The last thing they want is a bloody boat turning up after settling 3 rods out, and imagine the audacity of the bloody bloke steering it to go straight down the middle! But you're right, we shouldn't tar everyone with the same brush. All the bristles would soon fall out.

He'd just managed to tie up to the ladder opposite when I arrived topside. I helped him through and we commented on how good the old pedestals are compared to the new play school big button ones. Who thought it's a good idea that both paddles can only be opened together? Makes life difficult when going upstream single handed.

Surprisingly many fisher people, all hiding in tents of course. Not many boats moving, one struggling to get on the jetty at Gunthorpe lock and me.